The game interface was gone?
A surge of vigilance flashed through Qi Yuan's mind.
He hurried to walk back into Tianjue, only to discover that he could not return inside at all.
"So once I leave the forbidden grounds and dead lands, I lose the game interface?"
"Doesn't that mean I'm no different from an NPC?"
Qi Yuan was stunned.
Soon, however, he accepted this reality.
"Even without the game interface, I can still eliminate the extraterrestrial demons!" Remembering the words of a certain big shot, Qi Yuan stopped dwelling on the matter.
"The only pity is that I can't contact Jin Li anymore."
"I shouldn't run into one of those melodramatic mistaken-identity scenarios, right?"
Stories about mistaking the wrong person on a blind date or during an offline meetup—Qi Yuan had heard plenty of them.
"Xiao Jia," Qi Yuan called out softly, holding Xiao Jia's hand.
Xiao Jia obediently shrank down, finally transforming into a bridal gown tattoo on Qi Yuan's chest.
Qi Yuan also donned the Faceless Mask he had obtained from the Ugly Robe Monster Sovereign.
Now, clad in pitch-black blood armor with a mask concealing his face, he looked just like a demonic imperial guardsman straight out of a palace.
His stature also shrank at that moment, reverting to the appearance of a mortal.
"Right now, I look just like a major villain."
The Faceless Mask could temporarily block the perception of extraterrestrial demons.
Before becoming what he was, the Ugly Robe Monster Sovereign had been an extraordinarily talented youth.
Talented youths like that were despised most by the extraterrestrial demons. A Flesh-Fishing Hook would dangle from the sky and extract their flesh and blood, leaving behind only a sheet of human skin.
Only with the Faceless Mask was the Ugly Robe Monster Sovereign able to isolate himself from the perception of extraterrestrial demons.
Unfortunately, he had stepped into the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground, which had been corrupted by the extraterrestrial demons, and recklessly broken through to the Heavenly Domain, resulting in his flesh and blood being drawn away by a Flesh-Fishing Hook.
Qi Yuan was now a level-99 powerhouse. Walking in the mortal world, he would draw the notice of the extraterrestrial demons.
That was why he wore the Faceless Mask.
Carrying his great sword, he looked up toward the southeast.
A colossal Ancient Qi Toon Tree came into view.
"Ten thousand li away... Sigh, it's a pity there are no spirit vessels here. Even if I could build one, it'd be useless anyway. I can only travel on foot."
The game world and the real world were two separate realms.
In the game world, martial arts led to the divine.
In the Canglan Realm of the real world, it was the immortal path.
Cultivating martial arts techniques in the game world wouldn't turn someone into nourishment.
Unfortunately, they couldn't be practiced in the real world at all, nor could they be used as references to supplement the Qi Yuan Scripture.
When Qi Yuan first attempted to adapt techniques from the game world, he had scared himself half to death.
At the time, he genuinely wondered if there was something wrong with his head, if he had gone mental, to actually try cultivating techniques from a game.
"Let's go—to the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, the Moon Dynasty, for an offline meetup!"
Transforming into a blood-red afterimage, Qi Yuan sped toward the Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
Only, after an unknown amount of time had passed, Qi Yuan suddenly descended from the sky.
In the desert, hung upon withered tree stumps, were human corpses—about fifteen of them—parched like mummies under the scorching sun.
None were large in stature; they all looked like children.
Vultures were tearing at the flesh as if feeding on rotten meat in a garbage dump.
Seeing Qi Yuan appear, the vultures flapped their wings and flew away.
Qi Yuan looked at these tender, gaunt, desiccated corpses. By his estimation, the oldest might have been eleven or twelve years old, while the youngest were likely three-month-old infants, and there were many of them.
They seemed to have been brutally murdered and left exposed in the wilderness.
He glanced up at the sun in the sky.
"With weather this hot, being baked out here like this isn't good."
With a wave of Qi Yuan's hand, all the wooden posts sank into the sand.
For ordinary mortals, karmic ties ceased with death.
"This world isn't as wonderful as Jin Li described either."
"Or perhaps, I'm just currently standing in the shadows."
With this thought, Qi Yuan flew back up into the firmament.
This time, he flew very high, towering aloft as if refusing to let the red dust disturb him.
There were too many matters in the world to easily distinguish right from wrong—or rather, what was right, and what was wrong?
...
A blood-red streak flashed past.
He was now less than a few hundred li from the Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
Below was a town, and Qi Yuan stopped.
Coming to this town, he had two things to do.
First was to ask for directions to find where the Moon Dynasty was; second was to get a good rest, eat a meal, and change his clothes.
Outside the city wall, a long line had formed.
Qi Yuan landed at the very back of the queue.
In front of Qi Yuan was a fair, plump man.
Qi Yuan looked at the city gate; inscribed upon it were three large characters: Kunwu City.
There were hundreds of people lining up outside the city.
The sun hung high in the sky.
The plump man ahead wiped away his sweat.
Judging from his attire, he was either wealthy or noble.
Qi Yuan stood quietly, his gaze shifting toward another section of the city wall.
Over there was a different entrance.
Unlike the one where Qi Yuan was waiting, that entrance had very few people and could be considered a privileged entrance.
Only, that privilege was not what Qi Yuan had assumed—it was not a privilege for the wealthy or noble.
Instead... they were all elderly folk.
Most were over fifty, or sixty and above.
Outside the city gate, they didn't need to queue and could enter directly.
"Respect the elderly and cherish the young—Kunwu City really has honest and simple folk customs," Qi Yuan couldn't help remarking.
Hearing this, the plump man in front of Qi Yuan turned his head. "Friend, you aren't a local, are you?"
Turning around and catching sight of Qi Yuan's mask, his eyes narrowed as if startled, but he quickly returned to normal. "What you just said is only half right."
"Oh? Which half?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Respecting the elderly is right; cherishing the young is wrong," the plump man said. "In this Kunwu City, as long as you reach fifty years of age, you don't have to work to receive all your food and clothing. If you fall ill, the clinic's physician will pay a house call in person without charging a single coin. If..."
As the plump man spoke, a lecherous smile appeared in his eyes.
"The girls from the brothels will visit your home in person, also without taking a single copper. All the living necessities of these elderly folk are fully covered by the government."
"That good?" Qi Yuan was dumbfounded.
Could this be considered the Great Harmony society?
And after fifty, one didn't need to do any work at all and could just enjoy life at home.
This sounded even better than Blue Star.
On Blue Star, plenty of people still hadn't retired by sixty, and some didn't even have pensions, barely scraping by in their twilight years—one illness and it was over.
Jin Li was right; the scenery of this world was indeed beautiful, and Qi Yuan had now found a bright spot.
A world where the elderly lived out their years in comfort could be considered a decent society.
"Pity I'm only thirty-five this year. I still have to wait fifteen years, and who knows if I'll even live to see that day," the plump man sighed, a somber look creeping into his voice.
"What was the half I got wrong?" Qi Yuan asked.
"The wrong half is..." The plump man lowered his voice. "...cherishing the young."
"Hmm?" Qi Yuan didn't quite understand.
"Not only do they not cherish the young, but anyone under fifty isn't cherished at all," the plump man said eerily.
Qi Yuan was still perplexed.
The plump man continued, "In Kunwu City, age is the greatest power. Anyone over fifty enjoys every privilege. But if you're under fifty, heheh."
At this point, the plump man paused, letting out a cold sneer.
"You live worse than a beast."
"How so?" Qi Yuan's gaze swept over the people queuing ahead.
His eyes landed on a woman cradling a young child. Her expression was numb, and the child in her arms had long since ceased breathing—it was a cold corpse.
"Take young children, for example. If a child gives their parents attitude, especially parents over fifty, do you know what the outcome is?"
"What is it?" Qi Yuan asked.
A child throwing a tantrum or giving attitude to their parents was generally wrong, of course.
"They die!" the plump man said grimly.
Qi Yuan was startled to hear this. "Isn't Kunwu City a bit too unhinged? Are the people living here all mentally ill?"
He wondered if he should switch to another city to ask for directions.
Otherwise, if he didn't give way to an old person and got killed on the spot, what then?
"Do you see that woman ahead?" The plump man pointed to the woman cradling the child.
"Yes."
"The child in her arms died yesterday." The plump man showed a look of regret. "Her child was weaned late and accidentally bit her while nursing at night. She mentioned it to some other women as casual gossip over tea. Those women flapped their tongues, and word reached the authorities. Her child... was executed for lacking filial piety! Right now she can still hold her child's corpse. After a while, sigh... she won't even have the corpse left."
Qi Yuan looked at the woman. She held the child tightly, her face utterly blank and numb.
"Young man, so if you aren't over fifty, keep a low profile in the city, especially when you encounter the elderly. You must show respect," the plump man cautioned softly.
"I think I ought to leave this place," Qi Yuan said.
This Kunwu City didn't match Jin Li's description.
Could he have gotten lost and arrived at the wrong place?
Unfortunately, his game interface was gone, so he couldn't contact Jin Li.
Hearing this, the plump man smiled helplessly. "Where else could you go? All hundred-odd cities nearby are like this."
Qi Yuan showed a puzzled expression upon hearing that. "If it were just one city, enforcing such a rule could be understood. But if a hundred cities are like this, has no one ever resisted?"
Young and able-bodied adults were the main force of this world.
Yet now, the young and strong in this city were suppressed. It sounded exceptionally unreasonable.
"Resist?" The plump man gave a bitter smile. "When the Black-Robed Guards show up, even the strongest martial artist dies. What could we possibly resist with! Although we live treading on thin ice, at least we have something to look forward to. Once we live to fifty, it will all be worth it."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan silently noted the name Black-Robed Guards.
The line ahead moved forward, and several more people joined behind them.
Seeing the crowd growing, the plump man said no more.
Qi Yuan stood in place, lost in thought.
Suddenly, an idea struck him: *I fought and killed on the Ascension Platform for hundreds of years. That makes me the oldest of old men! I belong to the highest privileged class!*
Qi Yuan instantly found a reason to convince himself.
*Queue my foot!*
He prepared to head down the dedicated lane for the elderly.
After considering it, however, Qi Yuan dismissed the idea.
*I look way too young. They definitely won't believe me.*
*I'm in the Divine Domain, why the hell should I queue up!*
Qi Yuan simply slipped into the city using stealth, and not a single soul detected him.
Inside the city, Qi Yuan walked among the crowd with his mask on.
Along the street, peddlers carrying shoulder poles hawked their wares—various processed medicinal ingredients and assorted pastries.
In restaurants, steam rose from bamboo steamers like white mist, and Qi Yuan smelled the rich, heavy fragrance of aged white flour from afar.
He glanced around. The peddlers, shop assistants, and shop managers on the street were all young people; not a single one was elderly.
Those strolling the street were mostly old men.
Many gray-haired elders were supported by their young sons, who walked beside them with utmost care and caution.
It looked truly like an idyllic portrait of benevolent fathers and filial sons.
Yet for some reason, Qi Yuan felt a sense of distortion.
He did not dwell on it further and headed straight to a restaurant, ordered a meal, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Qi Yuan stepped out of the restaurant.
"Sigh, I'm still too thin-skinned. Even though I'm old enough, I still paid. I just couldn't bring myself to dine and dash."
"The food here wasn't great. I wonder how Jin Li's cooking is."
"I wonder how Jin Li's crispy sweet duck tastes. It must be delicious."
"Oh no, I haven't messaged her for so long. She won't think I'm not coming, will she?"
"I need to hurry up and ask where July Town of the Moon Dynasty is."
"Oh dear, what if I meet her and feelings start developing as we chat?"
Qi Yuan well knew that when two people who had chatted online for a long time met up offline, as long as their looks weren't terrible and there were no glaring flaws, the chances of hitting it off were very high.
"I haven't even seen her yet, what am I overthinking for!"
Leaving the restaurant, Qi Yuan headed to a shop called Kunwu Fengsheng.
He had learned about this establishment while eating at the restaurant by asking the waiter.
This shop traded in information and wielded considerable influence in Kunwu City.
"An honored guest has arrived! Please, do come in."
Just as Qi Yuan stepped before the entrance of Kunwu Fengsheng, a melodious voice rang out.
A tall, slender woman emerged from the shop, her face veiled in black gauze that obscured her features.
Qi Yuan noted that she was a Sovereign rank powerhouse.
Furthermore, when she saw his mask, her body clearly reacted slightly, though it vanished quickly, well concealed.
Qi Yuan said, "I'd like to purchase a map of the surrounding region."
Hearing this, the black-veiled woman parted her red lips. "Please wait a moment, honored guest."
With that, she turned back into the shop, pulled open a drawer, and unfurled a map before Qi Yuan.
"Is the honored guest satisfied?" the black-veiled woman asked softly.
Qi Yuan was slightly taken aback. Who ran a business like this?
In a martial world like this, martial artists practically possessed photographic memory.
Once the map was spread out and a martial artist took a glance, it lost all commercial value.
Even so, he swept his eyes across it, a puzzled look surfacing in his eyes. "Are you certain this map includes all the kingdoms surrounding the Ancient Qi Toon Tree?"
"Yes," the black-veiled woman nodded affirmatively.
"Why is there no Moon Dynasty, and no July Town?"
The black-veiled woman was taken aback upon hearing this. "I have never heard of a Moon Dynasty, nor of July Town."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan was somewhat bewildered.
Could this person be lying to him?
Or had Jin Li lied to him?
Or had he remembered incorrectly?
"However, I have heard of the Moon Sovereign Clan. I wonder if that might be what you seek?"
"Moon Sovereign?" Qi Yuan murmured.
Although "Moon Sovereign Clan" and "Moon Dynasty" differed by only a word or two, the gap was substantial.
Even if the Moon Sovereign Clan founded a state, it would be the Moon Sovereign Dynasty.
"The Moon Sovereign Clan has twelve lakes in total: the First Month Lake, Second Month Lake, Third Month Lake... Beside each lake lives a branch of the Moon Sovereign Clan. I wonder if this has any connection to the July Town you mentioned?"
"Where is it?" Qi Yuan asked hurriedly.
One coincidence could be dismissed, but two coincidences in a row pointed to an answer.
At this, the black-veiled woman hesitated.
Qi Yuan said, "Speak freely."
Seeing this, the black-veiled woman said, "The Moon Sovereign Clan refuses to comply with the decree of the hundred cities and is currently at war with them. Going there now might be dangerous and entangle the innocent. The decree of the hundred cities is the Decree of Filial Piety. The hundred cities demand that the Moon Sovereign Clan also observe filial piety: anyone who offends their elders shall be executed!"
"Where is the location?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Right here." The black-veiled woman marked the position of the Moon Sovereign Clan on the map. "July Lake is here, only several li away from the main trunk of the Ancient Qi Toon Tree."
"Thank you for informing me," Qi Yuan said with sincere gratitude. "I do not carry enough gold or silver on me. Seeing that you are a Sovereign rank martial artist, I will gift you this cultivation technique. Practicing it should give you a chance to break through to the Supreme Sovereign realm."
As Qi Yuan spoke, he casually took a sheet of paper from the shop. His hand moved like dragons and serpents; in barely a dozen breaths, a complete technique was laid out on the paper.
This technique was merely an ordinary manual drawn from the memories of a Divine Domain expert.
It happened to suit the black-veiled woman before him.
Moreover, she had shown goodwill first, so he was returning the favor.
The black-veiled woman received the technique and took a close look. "This... this..."
Excitement rushed over her.
The grade of this technique was exceedingly high and suited her perfectly. If she cultivated it, she would be able to become a Supreme Sovereign before long.
Just as she was about to express her gratitude, she discovered the person had long since vanished.
"Senior?" She wanted to say something, but in the end, the words remained unsaid.
Roughly a dozen breaths later, an elderly woman parted the curtain and walked out from the back of the shop.
The old woman's face was covered in deep wrinkles, and she looked thoroughly aged. "Xiao Lian, did you manage to ascertain the background of that person just now?"
The black-veiled woman furrowed her brows. "His strength is at least that of a Supreme Sovereign, or perhaps even..."
"Heavenly Domain?" The old woman frowned.
"If he is Heavenly Domain, he might have walked out of a forbidden ground," the black-veiled woman said with excitement.
"It's also possible he isn't, but rather bait cast out by the Hundred Cities Alliance," the old woman cautioned.
Disappointment crept into the black-veiled woman's expression. "We haven't been in contact with the esteemed masters of the forbidden grounds for nearly a thousand years. The Black-Robed Guards grow more powerful by the day. Can we truly win?"
"The sole purpose of our Tomorrow Society's existence is to slay the Black-Robed Guards and restore clear skies and bright daylight to this world! Xiao Lian, do not worry. The actions of the Black-Robed Guards defy the heavenly way; heaven will surely strike them down!" A ferocious glint appeared in the old woman's eyes.
Her son, her daughter, and her husband had all died at the hands of the Black-Robed Guards.
She and the Black-Robed Guards could not share the same sky.
"Yes." The black-veiled woman fell silent and nodded.
"Xiao Lian, close the shop. We are going to the Moon Sovereign Clan," the old woman said, having made up her mind.
"Understood."
"It just so happens that through the battle between the Hundred Cities Alliance and the Moon Sovereign Clan, we can see whether that faceless man is truly an esteemed master from the forbidden grounds, or bait set by the Black-Robed Guards," the old woman said in a deep voice.
...
The moon climbed up the branches.
The lake surface rippled with shimmering light. Jin Li sat on a green rock by the lakeshore.
From time to time, she looked up into the distance, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features, only to be replaced once more by eager anticipation.
Standing not far away, Aunt Qin saw Jin Li's demeanor and let out a faint sigh, unsure of what she was truly lamenting.
Right at that moment, a voice sounded by Aunt Qin's ear: "Old Madame Qin, long time no see."
Hearing that ethereal, melodious voice, Aunt Qin's body suddenly stiffened.
"It's you? Grand Priest!"
Chapter 73